History, Culture, Population, Language

1) History
 A 5,000-year-old history and culture is the pride of the Korean peninsula.
 600,000 years ago Archeological findings have indicated the beginnings of settlement in the Korean Peninsula.
 2333 B.C. The legendary figure Tan-gun founded Ko-Choson, a first Korean Kingdom at Pyong-yang in the northern part of the peninsula.
 57 B.C. - A.D. 668 The Three Kingdoms Period. A golden age of culture with distinct contributions from each Kingdom.
Koguryo Kingdom(37 B.C. - A.D. 668)
Paekche Kingdom(18 B.C. - A.D. 660)
Shilla Kingdom(57 B.C. - A.D. 676)
 A.D. 676-935 Unified Shilla Kingdom(Capital : Kyongju).
 A.D. 918-1392 Koryo Dynasty (Capital: Kaesong, located in North Korea). Buddhism became the state religion and greatly influenced politics and culture.
Overseas trade boomed. The name "Korea" derives from the Koryo Dynasty since Arabian tradesmen started calling Koryo "Corre."
 1392 - 1910 Choson Dynasty(Capital : Seoul). The peninsula's final dynasty. Confucianism as the state ideology exerted a massive influence over the whole of society. Han-gul, the Korean alphabet, was invented in 1443, during the reign of King Sejong.
 1910 - 1945 Japanese colonial rule.
 1945(August 15) Japan surrendered to the Allies and withdrew from the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean peninsula is divided into 2 Areas. The north controlled by Soviet Union and the south by the U.S.
 1948 The Korean Peninsula is divided into two countries : the Republic of Korea(democratic South Korea), and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (communist North Korea).
 1950 - 1953 Korean War, armistice signed.
 1972 to present Negotiations between South and North Korea for peace and reunification continue.
 1988 Hosting of the 24th Olympiad, which marked the beginning of relations with Central and Eastern Europe.
 September, 1991 South and North Korea were simultaneously admitted to the United Nations.


2) People and Population

Koreans, like many other Asian peoples, are descendants of Mongolian Tungus stock. They differ from the neighboring Japanese and Chinese, however, in that Koreans are a homogeneous ethnic group with their own language, culture, and customs.
Korean people are characterized by their generosity, warmth, and kindness, and are renowned as one of the hardest working people in the world.

    Population :
    South Korea - 46.9 million (1997)
    (North Korea - 25 million) (estimated)

    Annual growth rate : 0.90% (1995)

    Urbanization rate : 78.5% (1995)

    Average family size : 3.3 persons (1995)

    Number of foreign residents : 110,028 (1995)

 




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